Why did my domain authority drop? 7 causes and what to do
Updated
The short answer
Domain authority usually drops because your site lost links, Moz recalculated its model, or competing sites gained links faster than you. Since DA is relative, it can fall even when nothing on your site changed. A drop of one to three points is normal noise. A larger drop is worth checking against your referring domains to find the cause.
Key facts
- DA is relative, so other sites' growth can lower yours.
- Moz recalculates scores regularly, which shifts many sites at once.
- Losing a few strong linking domains hurts more than losing many weak ones.
- A drop in DA doesn't mean Google rankings dropped.
- Track referring domains to tell a real loss from a recalculation.
First, is the drop worth worrying about?
Before digging in, size the change. Here's how we read it:
| Change | What it usually is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 points | Normal fluctuation or a model refresh | Nothing. Re-check next month. |
| 4 to 9 points | Lost links or a broad recalculation | Compare referring domains with last month. |
| 10+ points | Lost major links, a migration problem or a big model change | Investigate this week. |
Re-check your domain in the domain authority checker and write down DA, referring domains and Trust Flow. Those three numbers together tell you which of the causes below you're dealing with.
The 7 causes of a domain authority drop
1. You lost linking domains
The most common cause. Sites redesign, delete old posts, change URLs or shut down. If a few of your strongest linking domains disappeared, DA falls even though your content didn't change. A shrinking referring domain count in your report is the giveaway.
2. Moz recalculated its model
Moz refines the machine learning model behind DA and refreshes scores on a regular cycle. When that happens, lots of sites move at once, sometimes all in the same direction. If your referring domains are stable and your competitors dropped by a similar amount, this is almost certainly the reason.
3. Other sites grew faster
DA is relative. Moz's own example: if one giant site gained a billion new links, everyone else's score would slide a little. In a normal month, the big sites at the top keep gaining links, which pushes the scale upward and nudges mid range sites down.
4. Moz stopped counting some of your links
Links from pages that Moz no longer crawls, or that it now treats as low value, can drop out of the calculation. This often hits sites that relied on directories, profile links or networks of low quality blogs.
5. Your site moved or changed URLs
Switching domains, changing from http to https, or restructuring URLs without proper 301 redirects breaks the path your links followed. The authority they carried doesn't fully reach the new URLs, and DA drops.
6. Links you bought were removed
Paid placements often come with an expiry date, and link networks get dismantled. When those links vanish, so does the authority they added. This is one reason we advise against buying links in the first place.
7. A spike in low quality links
A sudden flood of spammy links, whether from negative SEO or a bad campaign, doesn't usually lower DA directly, but it can raise your Spam Score and change how Moz's model sees your profile. Check your Spam Score if a drop coincides with a burst of new links.
How to find which cause hit you
- Compare your referring domains now with your last record. Fewer domains points to causes 1, 4 or 6.
- Check three competitors. If they all dropped too, it's cause 2 or 3.
- Look for site changes in the last few months: migrations, URL changes or deleted pages point to cause 5.
- Check Spam Score and Trust Flow. A rising Spam Score or falling Trust Flow points to cause 7.
Running your site and competitors through the bulk checker once a month and keeping the CSV makes this comparison take two minutes instead of an afternoon.
Did my Google rankings drop too?
Not necessarily. DA is a Moz metric, and Google doesn't use it. A model refresh at Moz can lower your score while your traffic stays exactly the same. Check your actual rankings and clicks in Google Search Console before assuming anything changed in search.
If rankings did fall at the same time as a real loss of linking domains, the two are probably connected, and recovering those links is the priority.
How to recover
- Contact sites that removed links and ask whether they'd link to a current page instead.
- Redirect any old URLs that still have external links pointing at them.
- Replace lost links by publishing something worth citing and promoting it.
- Stop relying on paid or network links that disappear.
- Track monthly so you catch the next drop early.
The full plan for rebuilding authority the durable way is in how to increase domain authority.
A simple monthly routine to catch drops early
Most painful DA drops are spotted months late, after the lost links are long gone and harder to recover. Ten minutes a month fixes that:
- Pick a fixed day each month.
- Check your domain and your three closest competitors in one bulk run.
- Export the CSV and keep every month in one spreadsheet.
- Flag any month where your referring domains fall by more than 5%.
- When something is flagged, look for the linking sites that disappeared and contact them while the page change is still recent.
Because competitors are in the same sheet, you'll also see straight away whether a drop is yours alone or a Moz recalculation that moved everyone.
Why did my domain authority go up suddenly?
The same mechanics work in reverse. A recalculation, a few new strong links, or competitors losing links can all push your score up quickly. Enjoy it, but don't read too much into a single month. Watch whether referring domains are growing too; if they aren't, the jump may reverse at the next refresh.
For background on how the score works, see what is domain authority.
Common questions
Why did my domain authority go down when I did nothing?
Because DA is relative. If Moz recalculated scores or other sites gained links faster than yours, your score can fall even though your site and links didn't change.
How often does Moz update domain authority?
Moz updates its link index continuously and refreshes DA on a regular cycle, so scores can change every few weeks. Small movements between checks are normal.
Will a DA drop hurt my SEO?
Not by itself. Google doesn't use Moz DA. A drop only matters if it reflects a real loss of links, which can also affect rankings.
Does changing hosting or redesigning my site lower domain authority?
Changing hosting alone doesn't. A redesign can, if URLs change without 301 redirects, because links pointing at the old URLs stop passing their value to the new pages.
How long does it take to recover domain authority?
Usually a few months. New links need to be discovered by Moz and included in a recalculation before the score reflects them.